Select Local Merchants

Since 1979, Criswell Furniture has supplied high-quality and custom furniture to discerning denizens of Alabama and the Florida panhandle. In-store shoppers can sample snuggles on items such as the stone and camel loveseat ($349.95), a sand-and-bone color combination more comforting than stepping on triceratops jaws at the beach. Fatigued footsies can kick back and relax on a chocolate-brown ottoman ($149.95), or rest on one of the 400T Three-Pack tables ($199.95 for the set), despite sparks of protest from the robot-maid. Browsers in need of help are invited to fill out a Perfect Furniture process application to filter through the shop's stock of home goods based on their available space, preferred color palate, and attachment to their siracha dispenser. Criswell's staffers use the survey results in conjunction with a virtual room planner to find ideal matches and send corresponding photos to clients through email or e-carrier pigeon.

Guests step into locally-owned-and-operated High Point Furniture's 20,000-square-foot showroom, perusing high-end furniture and home-décor accents from top manufacturers to gracefully populate domicile quarters. The expansive showroom is lined in elegant pieces ranging in style from traditional to Victorian to modern, boasting renowned brands including Baker, Hickory White, and Lexington. Shoppers can invest in contemporary or formal dining-room seating ($225–$499) to foster classy games of musical chairs. To liven up a dark living room, patrons can illuminate spaces with a set of wall sconces or a floor or table lamp ($99–$199), or work through identity queries in the reflection of a mirror ($199–$499). A selection of designer fabrics ($6–$30/yard) helps patrons create custom curtains or upholster seats in hot-air balloons.

Standard Furniture traces its origins back to 1912, when a local family began traveling through Birmingham, peddling fine household furniture out of a wagon. Four generations later, the business has blossomed into 13 retail stores throughout Alabama and Tennessee, and its century-long commitment to quality furniture and customer service won it the Alabama Retail Association’s Silver Award as one of the Retailers of the Year in 2011.
Each gallery abounds with bedroom, living-room, and dining-room furniture from top designers such as Lane, along with mattresses in a range of shapes and styles from brands such as Tempur-Pedic, Serta, and Jamison. At each location, a knowledgeable staff awaits to offer design counsel, suggesting pieces that best suit a household’s style or will hold up against a disobedient pet woodchuck.

Magnolia Lighting's stockade illuminates living quarters with sundry lighting fixtures and home accents. Guests can peruse the expansive showroom rife with crystal chandeliers, lavish candelabras, and teardrop lights artfully suspended from the ceiling. Decorative accessories such as Light Charms magnetic crystals ($42) spruce up chandeliers and a variety of outdoor lighting options shed light on patios and walkways. Patrons can curl up with a book or ancient Greek tablet by the flame of a Lafco candle ($55)—lauded as one of Oprah's “Favorite Things”—and decorative mirrors ($89 for a 44"x32" model) spruce up empty walls and fool gullible eyes into thinking rooms are larger than they actually are.

Mattress King's wide selection of mattresses from well-known brands such as Sealy Posturepedic, Embody, and Stearns & Foster run the firmness and texture gamut, giving sleepers of all shapes and sizes a shot at a good night's rest. Sealy's Posturepedic queen-sized Spirited supports dreamers with a comfortable durability ($409 for the mattress, $699 for the set). Dozers with a penchant for luxurious expediency snooze on the Stearns & Foster Bradenburg queen-sized bed, which lends backsides a plush surface and a patient ear as they complain about lousy desk chairs ($719 for the mattress, $1,169.10 for the set), or opt to bounce to another to decide which size fits the mold.